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Justice System in Grandelumiere
The Justice System within Grandelumiere is the central institution in terms of law and civic order. The Justice system is split into several sections, designed for specific situations, these take form in several differing courts. The first of these courts is the Seigneurial Courts, then the Crown Courts, and then the Ecclesiastic Courts. Punishment in the Empire is notedly harsh and has remained from the medieval codes of law and punishment that have existed across Europe. Process of Trial The process of trial is the method by which courts are run. There is no presumption of innocence within the justice system. Commoners, both serfs and bourgeois, are subject to torture in order to determine guilt. Commoners are not provided a trial in their process. Once a confession is obtained, should they confess, the court is then to decide upon the punishment used to deal with the offender. The Nobility however, are not tortured for confession. The nobility are tried by the Crown Courts, a Crown judge would usually oversee the trial, and question the individual. Trials are not composed of a defence and prosecution, but rather the chief magistrate or judge, who questions those on trial to determine guilt or innocence. Punishment is decided by the court judge. The clergy are trialled by fellow clerics in the Ecclesiastic court. These courts not only trial clerics for their crimes, but also trial the crimes of blasphemers, heretics and other crimes against the Church. In this manner, the chief Inquisitor during the trial acts as the sole judge of the defendant and questions the individual. However, torture may also be used to extract confessions from those who have committed crimes against the Church. Punishment The punishments for various crimes greatly differ according to rank. For the commoners, the punishment for crimes can range from public floggings, death or imprisonment. Commoners who are found guilty of stealing have their hands cut from them, however, lashings from a whip, being kept in stocks, breaking bones, branding and other public punishments are used for committing lower crimes. However, those found guilty of heresy, witchcraft or blasphemy etc may be burned during an auto-de-fe. Those who sufficiently repent or have not committed serious crimes against the Church may be spared such and will be released. Those who commit serious crimes such as murder or treason are executed publicly. Hanging is the most common execution method by the civil authority, however, the breaking wheel, flailing, hanging, drawing and quartering, and other such acts were used for punishment for the most serious of crimes. Imprisonment was rarely used for commoners, and only used usually by Lettres des caches. This was usually due to the individual having knowledge that was dangerous to the state. While the commoners were frequently publicly tortured or executed, the nobility rarely suffered such. Most of the nobility were imprisoned for their acts. The lower nobility who had committed such crimes as the murder of other nobility or grievous murder of the commoners would be imprisoned in places such as the Bastille. There, they were still permitted to keep a servant and treated to 3 full meals daily, and frequently time to walk about the prison grounds. However, the high nobility was frequently imprisoned in places such as their estates permanently. An execution was used against the nobility who committed serious crimes of treason, though many were frequently exiled rather than executed. The clergy, if found guilty, were rarely executed unless their crime was serious enough. Most clerics were imprisoned perpetually in various places to remain for the rest of their lives. Those who committed treason would be exiled, however, those guilty of regicide or murder of other Imperials were frequently executed for their crimes. Execution of a cleric was exceptionally rare due to the position of their office. Courts Seigneurial Courts The Seigneurial courts are usually the provincial courts set up to decide the punishment of confessed criminals. They are usually run by the local Seigneur (Lord). The court is not permitted to try those of any title or clerical position.Frequently torture was used to extract a confession, while executions were rarely ordered, the most common form of punishment was corporal punishment. Crown Courts The Crown courts were set up in every department with a Parlement. The major Crown Court is seated in Paris under the Paris Parlement. These are organised by the Crown Judges, often wealthy bourgeois or nobility, they try major crimes by commoners, or oversee the punishment and/or torture of those being detained. The judges will also be responsible for the trial of a nobleman. They are authorised to use execution, torture and corporal punishment as a result of any crime committed. Ecclesiastic Courts The Ecclesiastic courts are run by the Church to try heretics, witches, blasphemers and clerics for their crimes. Run by the Office of the Holy Inquisition of Grandelumiere, those found guilty of such crimes as witchcraft etc are burned for their crimes, either individually or during an auto-de-fe. Other individuals such as clerics found guilty, are imprisoned, exiled or executed depending on severity of their crime. Category:Articles relating to the Empire